Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

Sc. usages and forms of Eng. gum. For ne.Sc. forms, see Geem and for Sh. form, see Goom. [‡m. and s.Sc. gøm, gym, gɪm]

Sc. usage in comb. gum-stick, †-stock, (1) a stick (or other object) used by a child while teething (m.Lth., Ayr. 1955); †(2) a fishermen's tabu-name for the “kavel- or kavlin-tree, a cylindrical piece of wood with a small crook of iron at the end, for extracting the hook when the fish has swallowed it too far down” (Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928)), gen. in Sh. form goom.
(1)Sc. 1748 H. TaylerSeven Sons of the Provost (1949) 215: My wife is to send her a gum stock. The town of Edin. could not afford a coral for it, which is sent for to London.Sc. 1769 W. BuchanDom. Medicine 23: A crust of bread is the best gum-stick.Edb. 1828 D. M. MoirMansie Wauch (1898) vi.: Welsh flannel petticoaties — demity wrappers — a coral gumstick, and other uncos.Gsw. 1838 A. RodgerPoems 130: Royal babies! Royal prattles, With Royal gum-sticks, bells, and rattles.